Free Astra: Synchronicity by Lisa Eskra

intolerant frayed her nerves. She hadn't dealt with
blatant discrimination in a long time, and she'd almost forgotten
how stressful it could be. Almost…
    Normals had good reason not to trust psions.
Telepathy corrupted even the most kindhearted, turning them into
murderers in search of their next fix. The danger of such power
rivaled that of modern weapons of destruction.
    The most notorious psion in Astra was Aliane,
and stories of her telepathic abuse gave more than children
nightmares. No one knew how many people she could dominate at any
one time. She could drive a person insane with a thought. She could
see through a person's eyes without having to be on the same
planet. And there was no way to stop her from doing any of it.
    But most psions were not like that at all.
Many sought the opportunity to live a normal life. They didn't want
to be special or judged and couldn't help being born the way they
were. None deserved to be punished for being different when they
were productive members of society.
    Nadine didn't fall into either category.
Having grown up in a laboratory under the supervision of curious
scientists, she'd never had the choice to be normal, instead forced
like a rat in a cage to perform for the scientist's amusement. As
her abilities strengthened, so did the drugs used to sedate her.
Large chunks of her adolescent years had vanished along with her
pride.
    Despite the fact she used her powers for the
betterment of United Europe, she was no poster-child for the
psionic movement. Many disapproved of her "euthanasia killings,"
and her husband would never be elected President of Chara because
he had a psion for a wife. People shrugged off her status as a
diplomat due to her position as the second lady. In the end she
decided to let history be her judge.
    When the panel beside the door buzzed, she
jumped. When she opened it, the XO stood there with her arms
crossed. "I don't have a lot of time," Carmen told her. "What do
you want?"
    Nadine forced herself to swallow before
responding. "I need access to a secure communications terminal to
apprise Vice President Taylor of the status of negotiations with
the PAU."
    "I'll see what I can do. Is that all?"
    "Is it really necessary to keep me confined
to quarters? Is it too much to ask to be able to eat with everyone
else?"
    Carmen narrowed her eyes. "The captain thinks
it's an unnecessary risk. As do I."
    "Are you sure you're not overreacting? My
purpose here is diplomatic."
    "One psion could commandeer this entire ship.
If you don't like the rules, next time you should stay home and cry
about it to your simpleton of a husband. Because sweetie, no one
here gives a damn about your feelings. Every one of us knows
someone who was killed by a mind-raper. That's never going to
change. Get used to it."
    She left Nadine standing there with a heavy
heart. She glanced at the security guard standing outside her door
before casting her eyes down to the floor. "Could you escort me to
the hold so I can get a few of my bags?"
    "Follow me."
    During the short walk there, she rubbed her
nose to keep herself from breaking down. Since coming aboard, her
mind felt raw and distressed. The commander's words stung, but the
emotion behind them tore Nadine up inside. She felt more like a
prisoner instead of an honored diplomat. They'd persecuted her for
every horrible deed committed by a psion since the Great Holocaust,
and not a single person on board sympathized.
    The guard opened the door to the aft hold and
stepped inside behind her, waiting there for her to return. She'd
forgotten where she put her bags, and finding them was much more
difficult through the prisms of the tears clouding her vision.
After several moments, she spotted them in the corner, resting
against the bulkhead behind some large crates of freeze-dried
food.
    Was it so much easier to hate than offer
someone a shred of understanding? Did any of them realize how hard
it is to be a psion? To be discriminated by the very